1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image processing method and apparatus, wherein processing for altering image processing and/or subsidiary information appended to an image signal is performed with respect to a plurality of image signals, which represent images associated with one another. This invention also relates to a recording medium, on which a program for causing a computer to execute the image processing method has been recorded and from which the computer is capable of reading the program.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Images of objects, such as patients, have heretofore been recorded with image input modalities, such as computed radiography (CR) apparatuses, computed tomography (CT) scanners, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatuses. An image signal representing the thus recorded image is utilized for reproducing a visible image and displaying it on a monitor. A medical doctor can make a diagnosis of an illness by referring to the visible image displayed on the monitor. In such cases, a plurality of images associated with one another, e.g. the images of a single patient or the images having been recorded in a single examination, may be displayed together on the monitor, and the medical doctor can make a diagnosis of an illness by seeing the displayed images.
When an image signal is generated by an image input modality, grouping information, such as the name of the patient, the examination number, the series number within an identical examination number, the date of examination, and/or identification (ID) information, is appended to the image signal. Therefore, by the utilization of the ID information appended to each of image signals, a plurality of image signals can be associated with one another and grouped in accordance with the name of the patient, the examination number, the series number within an identical examination number, and/or the date of examination.
In cases where a visible image is to be reproduced from an image signal and displayed on a monitor, image processing, such as gradation processing, processing in the frequency domain, or color transform processing, is often performed on the image signal. In such cases, the image signal to be subjected to the image processing is selected on the monitor, and the image processing is performed on the selected image signal. However, in cases where the same image processing as that having been performed on a certain image signal is to be performed also on all of the other image signals of the group, to which the certain image signal belongs, it has heretofore been necessary that all of the other image signals of the group, to which the certain image signal belongs, are selected successively on the monitor, and the image processing is performed on each of the successively selected image signals. With the conventional technique, considerable time and labor are required to perform the processing in this manner.
Also, when the grouping information is inputted in an image input modality, it often occurs that, with respect to an image signal belonging to a certain group, grouping information belonging to a different group is given by mistake. Further, it often occurs that an incorrect file name is given by mistake to an image signal. In such cases, the image signal, which has been assigned with the incorrect grouping information or the incorrect file name, must be found out, and processing for altering the grouping information or the file name must be performed on the image signal. However, if the grouping information or the file name must be altered in this manner, considerable time and labor will be required to find out, the image signal.